The quantitative determination of analytes in body fluids is of great importance in the diagnoses and maintenance of certain physiological abnormalities. For example, lactate, cholesterol, and bilirubin should be monitored in certain individuals. In particular, determining glucose in body fluids is important to diabetic individuals who must frequently check the glucose level in their body fluids to regulate the glucose intake in their diets. The results of such tests may be used to determine what, if any, insulin and/or other medication needs to be administered. In one type of testing system, test sensors are used to test a fluid such as a sample of blood.
One method of monitoring an individual's blood glucose level is with a portable, hand-held blood glucose testing device (e.g., a meter). To determine the blood glucose level with the meter, a lancet device may be used with a needle lancet that pierces the skin tissue and allows a whole blood sample to form on the skin's surface. Once the requisite amount of blood forms on the skin's surface, the blood sample is transferred to a test sensor. The test sensor is generally placed in an opening in the body of the meter.
Existing meters typically include a memory for storing previous analyte concentrations taken at earlier times. The stored test results are generally stored within the memory until they are transferred to another device having a larger memory (e.g., a computer) or deleted. Furthermore, meters generally include a scroll button or other type of user-interface mechanism that allows a user to review stored test results.
A problem occurs when the stored test results are accidentally accessed by the user (e.g., by accidentally pressing the scroll button). For example, a user testing his or her glucose concentration may accidentally and/or unknowingly press the scroll button during testing, thereby causing the user to mistake a glucose concentration associated with a previous testing procedure for the user's current glucose concentration. Such mistaken test results may result in unsafe glucose levels (e.g., hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic conditions) being undetected, which may be dangerous for a user and may have serious health-related consequences.
It would be desirable to provide an analyte-testing device that assists in addressing the above disadvantages.